As one whom his mother comforts, so I will comfort you; and you shall be comforted in Jerusalem. Isaiah 66:13

Going through life most people fell alone. They feel as if there is no one by their side to help them. Depression and sorrow set deep inside their hearts with loneliness. People feel abandoned when they are going through a difficult time in their life. The world is seeking comfort in the things of this world and are unable to find what it is that they need. Everyone is focused upon self, rather than helping others out. 

Isaiah quotes God saying that just like a mother comforts, He will bring comfort to them, even in Jerusalem. 

Mothers are sometimes known to be the soft and caring one in the family, who are quick to bring comfort. They are the ones who stay by the side of a child when sick or injured, while the father works. 

Many children, however, do not have a mother that can be by their side. Divorce has separated them, leaving them alone. It gets even worse when one becomes an adult and is on one’s own. 

Jesus promised that there would be trouble in the life of every believer. The moment troubles arise in a person’s life, it is common that everyone else pulls away and leaves them on their own. Most don’t know what to say or how to bring comfort, since they are dealing with their own problems all the time. 

Despite the fact that people will abandon and run the other direction, God is right by the side of the believer to bring peace and comfort. He knows what one is going through and holds that person close to His heart and side. He brings a comfort that the world cannot know nor understand. 

You will have days of trouble, in which you feel all alone with no one by your side. The world will focus on its own troubles and leave you to yourself. During those times run to God and lean on Him. 

Accept His comfort that He will give you by His Holy Spirit. Hold on to His promises that all the troubles will come to an end some day and that He is by your side and has overcome the world. God is with you to comfort you day and night, never ending and never leaving you, nor forsaking you. 

Today I pray that you will know Jesus as your Lord and Savior; that you will know the comfort God provides; that you will know the peace God brings; that you will know that God is always by your side; and that you will remember all of God’s promises to you.

1 Timothy 2:5

“For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;”

King James Version (KJV)

What is the definition of sin?

Answer.

Sin is described in the Bible as transgression of the law of God (1 John 3:4) and rebellion against God (Deuteronomy 9:7). Sin had its beginning with Lucifer, probably the most beautiful and powerful of the angels. Not content with his position, he desired to be higher than God, and that was his downfall, the beginning of sin (Isaiah 14:12-15). Renamed Satan, he brought sin to the human race in the Garden of Eden, where he tempted Adam and Eve with the same enticement, “you shall be like God.” Genesis 3 describes Adam and Eve’s rebellion against God and against His command. Since that time, sin has been passed down through all the generations of mankind and we, Adam’s descendants, have inherited sin from him. Romans 5:12 tells us that through Adam sin entered the world, and so death was passed on to all men because “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23).

Through Adam, the inherent inclination to sin entered the human race, and human beings became sinners by nature. When Adam sinned, his inner nature was transformed by his sin of rebellion, bringing to him spiritual death and depravity that would be passed on to all who came after him. We are sinners because we sin and we sin because we are sinners. This passed-on depravity is known as inherited sin. Just as we inherit physical characteristics from our parents, we inherit our sinful natures from Adam. King David lamented this condition of fallen human nature in Psalm 51:5: “Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.”

Another type of sin is known as imputed sin. Imputed sin is the result of our having been credited with the guilt of Adam’s sin (Romans 5:18). To impute is “to take something that belongs to someone and credit it to another’s account,” and imputed sin is Adam’s guilt attributed to or credited to us. All human beings are counted as having sinned in Adam and thus deserving the same punishment for sin as Adam. After Adam’s sin, everyone was subject to death, even before the Mosaic Law was given, because of imputed sin, which affects our standing before God.

God used the principle of imputation to benefit mankind when He imputed the sin of believers to the account of Jesus Christ, who paid the penalty for that sin—death—on the cross. Imputing our sin to Jesus, God treated Him as if He were a sinner, though He was not, and had Him die for the sins of the entire world (1 John 2:2). It is important to understand that sin was imputed to Him, but He did not inherit it from Adam. He bore the penalty for sin, but He never became a sinner. His pure and perfect nature was untouched by sin. He was treated as though He were guilty of all the sins ever committed by the human race, even though He committed none. God then imputed the righteousness of Christ to believers and credited our accounts with His righteousness, just as He had credited our sins to Christ’s account (2 Corinthians 5:21).

A third type of sin is personal sin, that which is committed every day by every human being. Because we have inherited a sin nature from Adam, we commit individual, personal sins, everything from seemingly innocent untruths to murder. Those who have not placed their faith in Jesus Christ must pay the penalty for these personal sins, as well as inherited and imputed sin. However, believers have been freed from the eternal penalty of sin—hell and spiritual death. We now also have the power to resist sinning. Now we can choose whether or not to commit personal sins because we have the power of the Holy Spirit who dwells within us. When we do sin, the Spirit convicts us (Romans 8:9-11). Once we confess our personal sins to God and ask forgiveness for them, we are restored to perfect fellowship and communion with Him. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).

We are three times condemned due to inherited sin, imputed sin, and personal sin. The only just penalty for this sin is death (Romans 6:23), not just physical death but eternal death (Revelation 20:11-15). Thankfully, inherited sin, imputed sin, and personal sin have all been crucified on the cross of Jesus, and now by faith in Jesus Christ as the Savior “we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace” (Ephesians 1:7).

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There’s nothing quite like a story of the underdog. 

Always introduced as the one who is marginalised, undervalued and forgotten, you can’t help but take their side right from the beginning. You root for them as they navigate the complexities of life and cross your fingers in the event they come up against adversity. You celebrate their wins and mourn their losses. Then at last, by the end of the story, you breathe a sigh of relief with a knowing smile on your face upon their final triumph. 

We see so many of these plotlines in movies because Hollywood knows we can’t resist the rollercoaster journey of the underdog! In my opinion, better than any movie are the real-life stories of underdogs in the Bible and the well-known story of David and Goliath is one of them. 

We first meet David in 1 Samuel 16, as the Lord sends the prophet Samuel to Jesse (David’s father) to anoint one of his sons as future king of Israel. At the time, David is elsewhere tending to his father’s sheep and is not even given a thought. Until Samuel passes over all other 7 sons and is prompted by the Lord to ask for another. Upon being anointed, the Spirit of the Lord rests on David and leaves Saul (the existing king of Israel). An evil spirit begins to torment Saul and as a result, David’s name is mentioned for his musical skills and ability to usher in the Lord’s presence. 

Saul grows fond of David and consequently, David becomes Saul’s armour bearer. As a side note, an armour bearer is a person who carried a large shield and other weapons for a warrior of distinction. They were to be by the side of the warrior in every battle, for their safety.

Now, the Philistines were the Israelites’ long-time enemy and now had a new weapon – Goliath. Goliath was an over nine-foot-tall beast of a man who effectively intimidated the Israelite army. One day, Jesse sends David to the army camp to deliver food to his 3 eldest brothers. David witnesses Goliath’s shouts and volunteers to fight him. Saul protests against it, David insists and Saul concedes. Much to everyone’s astonishment, David defeats Goliath with a sling and a stone.

No sword, no armour, just a sling and a stone.

What a victory! A victory that would have seemed impossible to man but was possible with God.

Like David, you and I have moments or seasons in our lives where it feels like what we come up against is impossible to overcome. Our “Goliath” looms over us like an ever present threat and all we want to do is retreat and hide. Yet, we can look to this story and be reassured that if David the underdog managed to win, so can we! 

How was it that David was victorious, what can we learn from his experience that we can apply to our own?

David was prepared by God

“But David said to Saul, “Your servant has been keeping his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it.” | 1 Samuel‬ ‭17:34-35‬ 

What may have seemed like a menial and unimportant task (and shepherding was viewed as so) was actually daily preparation. Each time David fought off a lion or a bear brought him a step closer to being ready to face Goliath. David was a faithful steward of his responsibilities. Even as he was given more, he didn’t neglect his existing responsibilities until he was released to do so (1 Samuel 17:15). 

As mundane as life can be at times, especially during this time when we are spending so much time at home, there is purpose in every season. What may appear to be insignificant may be the very thing that God uses to sharpen our skills and prepare us for what He has planned. 

David was positioned by God

‬‬“As he was talking with them, Goliath, the Philistine champion from Gath, stepped out from his lines and shouted his usual defiance, and David heard it.” | ‭‭1 Samuel‬ ‭17:23‬ ‭

David was at the right place, at the right time. Not from his own doing but by God’s design. As the youngest of 8 sons, David was far from considered as being capable to go to war. But, his food delivery to his brothers positions him to witness Goliath’s threats. Further, had Saul not known who David was, a meeting orchestrated by God, he would not have allowed David to face Goliath.

Just as God was at work in David’s life, so too is He at work in our lives today, positioning us in the right place, with the right people, at the right time. To witness more of these God appointment occurrences in our own lives, we need to trust in His perfect timing and ability to open new doors for us.

David used what was already in his hand

“Then he took his staff in his hand, chose five smooth stones from the stream, put them in the pouch of his shepherd’s bag and, with his sling in his hand, approached the Philistine.”‭‭ | 1 Samuel‬ ‭17:40‬ ‭

Though offered the best of the best armour and weapons, David refused on account that he wasn’t used to them. Instead, he took his staff, five stones and his sling. The tools of a shepherd rather than the tools of a warrior. He knew what was in his hand and was confident in his skills to use it. 

I don’t know about you, but when I’m thrown out of my comfort zone, I have a tendency to look to how others who appear to have “mastered it” would handle it. But no matter how much I try to adopt the approach of someone else, it never feels quite right. 

God has created each of us as a one-of-a-kind masterpiece. Our skills, talents and abilities reflect our purpose. So, rather than looking at the person to the right or your left, try looking at what God has already put in your hand. That is your most powerful tool. 

David fought in the name of the Lord

“David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the Lord will deliver you into my hands, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. This very day I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds and the wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel.” |‭ ‭1 Samuel‬ ‭17:45-46‬ ‭

When those who called themselves warriors retreated from Goliath in fear, David advanced in courage. Why? Because he knew the battle was the Lord’s. Not only did David draw his confidence from the Lord to fight, he fought to make God’s name known. He didn’t do it for personal achievement, a desire for accolade or to create a name for himself. No, he did it for the Lord.

In the same way, I feel that sometimes we need to check our own motives and ask ourselves, “am I doing this for the Lord, or for myself?”

The odds were against David yet he was not defeated. Because of his obedience and trust, God uses him as the most unlikely of heroes. 

“What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?” | Romans‬ ‭8:31‬ ‭

Have you come up against a giant that seems impossible to conquer? I want to encourage you today and let you know that the God of the universe is for you!

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